Not Alone
by Extreme Light 9
Summary: When a lost hatchling finds its way into his house, Red will have to take care of it and find out what happened to it's parents.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I've been wanting to write an Angry Birds fic for a while now, but never actually had the time to do it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Angry Birds.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

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It was a quiet night in Bird Island, Red was sleeping soundly on his nest when he suddenly heard a strange shuffling sound. At first he tried to ignore the sound and go back to sleep, but then it was followed by a loud crash that snapped him awake.

The bird quickly sat up and looked around for whatever made the noise. He then spotted the broken pieces of a vase on the floor and sighed. It must have fallen from the table.

Grumbling under his breath, he got off his nest and made his to the broken vase, inspecting the pieces.

Just then, the shuffling returned and Red suddenly realized with alarm; someone was in his house.

Without a second thought, Red quickly grabbed the broom against the wall and held it close to his chest defensively. "Who's there?" he exclaimed, but no one answered.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked around for the intruder and finally saw something moving in the corner. The thing that broke into house seemed to have been caught under a bowl.

Raising an eye brow at this, Red slowly made his way to the bowl and lifted it up to find-

"A hatchling?" Red blinked in confusion at the smaller bird in front of him.

He had light orange feathers and brown eyes. He looked like he had been through a rough patch based on how dirty his feathers were. What really surprised Red the most was that he had huge eyebrows like his own. He never saw another bird that looked like him before. Just as his mind started to wander he quickly shook himself from his trance.

"How did you get here?" Red asked as he placed the broom on the floor. The hatching didn't answer him and continued staring at him curiously instead.

Red scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do. He probably should take him back to his parents. They must be really worried about him right now.

"C'mon kid, let's get you home." He said as he carefully picked up the hatchling and carried him towards the door. Using his free hand he opened the door and made his way outside. The streets were dark and quiet. The only light seemed to be coming from nearby houses.

Red's eyes searched the streets for the any sign of the hatchling's parents. He thought once they have realized their son was missing they'd be looking everywhere for him, but he saw no one.

Red looked down at the hatchling. "Where are your parents, kid? Do you know the way back to your house?" he asked.

The little bird seem ponder over what he said and looked around before shaking his head at him. Red sighed. Maybe the little guy wandered off on his own and now he can't find his way back.

Red knew he couldn't send off the hatchling on his own. It wasn't safe, especially during the night.

"Alright little guy, you can stay with me tonight, but tomorrow you and I gonna go look for your parents, okay?" he said before taking the hatchling back inside. It was then he remembered the broken vase on the floor.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." He sighed and went to clean the mess. Later after washing the dirt off him in the sink, Red fed the little bird what's left of his dinner. It wasn't long until the hatchling's eyes drooped and let out a soft yawn.

"Tired," he said.

"Alright kid, let's get you to bed now. It's probably past your bedtime." Red stated as he placed him on his nest, watching him snuggle deeper into it before falling asleep almost immediately.

Red laid down besides him and spent the next few minutes staring at the ceiling before drifting off as well.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of it so far with a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! I really appreciate it. Here's chapter two.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Red slowly opened his eyes to see morning light coming from the window. Looking over, he found the hatchling sleeping quietly next to him. Still groggy, Red reached for the alarm clock on his nightstand to see what time is it.

8: 30

"What!?" Red shot up in surprise, accidently pushing the smaller bird off the nest.

"Ow!" he yelped as he hit the ground.

Red quickly scrambled to his side. "Sorry! Are you okay little guy?" he asked in concern. Rubbing his sore head, the hatchling nodded at him.

Red sighed in relief at this before remembering the reason of his panic earlier. He quickly picked the hatchling up and placed him on the dining table before hurrying to the fridge.

"I overslept. I'm gonna be late for class! Matilda is gonna kill me!" Red exclaimed as he grabbed a container filled with worms. He took a handful and quickly stuffed them into his mouth before placing it in front of the hatchling.

"Here, eat up." He muttered with his mouth full before running back towards the nightstand where he left his poem. His teacher had been frustrated with him when didn't bring any to class before. The poem was nothing special, something he hastily wrote last night, but it's better than nothing.

Just as he was about to head for the door Red stopped in his tracks when he remembered the hatchling. He looked back at the small bird as he ate his breakfast and realized he couldn't leave the kid alone in the house.

What if he hurt himself or wandered off again and wasn't there when Red came back.

 _I probably gonna regret this_. Red thought sourly as he made his way back to the hatchling.

"Hey, little guy. Would you like to come to class with me?" he asked with a big fake smile. The kid thought about it for a moment and then nodded at him.

Red frowned. "You're not much of a talker, are you?" he asked and the kid only shrugged in response. Sighing, Red quickly picked him up and made his way to the door.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Five minutes later, Red arrived outside Matilda's house. Suddenly, a new question popped into Red's head. "Hey, I don't remember asking you about your name," he looked down at the kid who stared back at him for a moment and then looked away.

Red sighed. It's like most of his question went over the kid's head. Just as he was about to knock on the door a voice spoke from below.

"Cody,"

Red blinked and looked down at the hatchling on his hand. "Cody?" he repeated in confusion before it finally dawned him. "Wait, is that your name?"

The hatchling smiled and nodded at him. Glad that at least one of his questions was answered, Red smiled back and knocked on the door before entering.

"Red, you're late!"

Red flinched at Matilda's stern tone. Yup, he was in trouble. He made his way to the classroom where his teacher and friends were waiting for him.

"Glad you finally decided to join us, buddy." Chuck snickered only to be silenced by the look the teacher gave him.

Matilda then turned to Red. "Class has started ten minutes ago. Mind telling everyone where you've been?"

Red frowned. "Look I'm sorry, I would have arrived sooner, but I had some unexpected company." He said and presented the hatchling to them.

Everyone in the room stared at the hatchling in confusion and…shock?

"You have a son!?" Chuck gasped in disbelieve. "And you didn't tell me?"

Red's eyes widen. "W-What? He's not my son!" he stammered.

"But he does kindda look like you, Red," Bomb stated.

"Only less pouty," Chuck added.

Red scowled. "I don't pout,"

"Yeah, you do!" Chuck teased.

"Alright that's enough you two," Matilda broke in. "So then where did you get that hatchling, Red?"

Red sighed. "I found him last night in my house. I didn't know where he came from or who his family was so I let him stay with me for the night. I didn't think it would be safe to leave him alone in my house so I brought him along." He explained.

"Now that you mentioned it I don't remember seeing this little fella around before." Matilda noted.

"Yeah, I would definitely remember seeing another Red running loose." Chuck muttered and could almost feel Red's burning glare on him.

"Well, we could help you look for his parents after class," Bomb said and Chuck nodded.

"Really? Thank guys," Red smiled.

With that, Red took his usual spot next to Terrance and placed Cody beside him. Once the class was over, the three split up and began asking around for anyone who might know the small hatchling.

Red soon spotted Stella and decided to ask her. "Hey Stella,"

"Oh hi Red!" She greeted and then noticed the hatchling standing next to him. "Who's your little friend?"

"This is Cody. He's lost and we're looking for his family. Do you know someone who may have lost their hatchling recently?"

"I don't think so," Stella said thoughtfully then noticed their crestfallen expressions. "But I'm gonna ask my friends and see if they know anything."

"Thanks, Stella," Red smiled gratefully and began walking away with Cody.

"Good luck!" She exclaimed from behind them. But despite all their efforts, they couldn't anyone in the village who knew the kid and soon enough they reached a dead-end.

"Did you find anything?" Red asked Bomb once he found him.

"No," The black bird said dejectedly. Red felt a rush of wind from behind and looked over to see Chuck panting heavily.

"I searched the whole island and I couldn't find anything! Nobody is missing an egg or a hatchling," He stated.

Red clutched his fists in frustration. They spent hours looking for any lead to the kid's parents, but they have gotten nowhere near finding them.

"Hey, um, Red? Have you ever considered that maybe we can't find Cody's parents because, well…" Bomb trailed off as he tried to find the right words.

"What? Spit it out!" Red muttered impatiently.

"M-Maybe we can't find his parents because…he doesn't have any." Bomb finally said.

The answer hit Red like a punch to the gut. A part of him had already assumed that, but Red refused to acknowledge it. Being an orphan himself, he didn't want anyone to end up alone without a parent.

But he can't deny the truth any longer. He already knew what must be done now.

 **XXXXXXXX**

It was sunset by the time Red and his two friends reached the orphanage. It was the same one he spent most of his childhood in. He didn't know why, but with each step Red felt his chest grow heavier.

 _This is for the best. He'll be better off without me._ Red kept repeating in his head.

"Don't worry Mr. Red. I promise we'll take good care of him." The caretaker said once he explained everything to her.

With a great deal of sadness, Red handed Cody over to the lady. The hatchling's face changed from confusion to panic when he realized what was happening.

"No!" Cody jumped off her hands and quickly grabbed onto Red's leg.

Red was startled by this and tried to pry him off, but the kid refused to let go. It soon dawned Red that the kid actually wanted to stay with him!

 _No, no, this wasn't supposed to happen. I can't take care of him!_ Red thought panicking. "C'mon kid, let go. You'll be okay here I promise." He said, but Cody only grabbed onto his leg harder than before.

"No please," he pleaded and looked up at Red with tears welling up in his eyes. Red immediately felt guilty for making the kid feel this way. He looked back to Chuck and Bomb for help, but the two looked as lost as he was.

Red looked down at the hatchling's pleading eyes again. He looked so scared at the idea of being alone without him. Red remembered a time when he once was like that. He had nobody to turn to and wanted nothing more than to have someone who'd take care of him and make the feelings of loneliness go away.

Red couldn't leave the kid to go through the same thing he did.

Red finally looked up at the lady who looked unsure of what to do. "Will it be okay if I, uh, take him with me?"

"O-Oh, well okay if that's what you wish Mr. Red," She answered with smile.

"You hear that little guy? You're gonna be staying with me from now on." Red said, grinning at him.

The hatchling immediately smiled with relief and jumped into his embrace. "Thanks,"

Red chuckled and then turned to his two friends who were smiling at him. "Let's go home guys,"

"Can I call him Red Junior now?" Chuck asked.

"Never,"

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, Red was sitting on his armchair watching TV with a bored look on his face. He suddenly felt something nudge his side. He looked down to see Cody who was watching TV with him moments ago had fallen asleep next to him.

Red couldn't but smile and began stroking the hatchling's feathers gently. _Everything's gonna be okay, kid._

 **XXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your support!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Angry Birds.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Red was busy painting one of his sculptures when the grumbling coming from his stomach alerted him that it was nearly lunch time.

He placed the brush on the table and made his way to the fridge. He opened it only to find that they have ran out of food. There was nothing left, but a half-empty jar of jam.

Sighing, Red closed the fridge and walked over to get his money pouch. "Hey kid, I'm gonna go buy some food, wanna come with me?" he asked Cody who was drawing on the floor with a crayon he gave him.

"Okay," the hatchling carefully put his crayon down and followed Red outside. The older bird closed the door behind them and then began their trek to the market. Getting there took less time than it used to now that he lived in the middle of the village.

"Daddy!"

"Oh no," Red looked over to see the familiar green hatchling running his way. Before he could do anything it jumped and grabbed onto his arm. Red tried to shake it off, but it refused to let go.

"Uh, a little help kid?" Red asked sheepishly looking down at Cody. The orange hatchling just stood there and stared at the two with confusion. Anyone who came pass them either snickered at the sight or gave them weird looks.

"Oh there you are!" Red glanced over to see Edward's wife, Eva coming their way. She picked up her hatchling and smiled apologetically at Red. "I'm sorry for the trouble Mr. Red. He ran off when I wasn't looking."

Red rubbed the back of his awkwardly. "It's no problem, ma'am." He said, watching her leave with her hatchling.

"Bye Daddy," the green hatchling said waving at him. Red sighed and waved back. He then glanced down to see Cody staring at him questionably.

"It's a long story," Red muttered sheepishly.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

It wasn't long until they reached the market. After taking everything they needed from the fruit stand and getting some new toys for Cody, Red decided it was time to head home.

On their way back they passed a middle-aged yellow bird who was repainting the walls of his house. He immediately laughed when he saw him. "Oh hey Eyebrows. How you've been?"

Red scowled. Even after leading the birds and saving the eggs from King Leonard, some birds still refused to accept him and Rick was one of them.

"Great," Red replied dryly.

Rick suddenly spotted Cody who was looking confused at him and a huge grin took over his face. "Well, look what we have here. Bird Island just got itself another freak!" he said between laughter. Cody whimpered and quickly hid behind Red.

That did it. It took Red every shred of self-control not to lash out then and there. Instead he gave Rick the most menacing look he could muster, making the yellow bird flinch and look away.

With that, Red stormed back to their house with kid in tow. He placed their groceries on the table and grabbed a pair of gloves near his nest before making his way to the far corner where a training dummy stood.

Putting on the gloves, Red took a deep breath before throwing his first punch at the dummy. Over the past few month this proved to be a good way to let his anger and frustration out. Cody meanwhile was watching Red attentively from his spot.

Red continued throwing punches, one after the other, slowly feeling some of the negativity leave his body. After two minutes of this, he backed away from it panting.

It was then Red noticed Cody making his way towards him. He watched as the hatchling slowly approached the dummy and scowled in determination before hitting it as hard as he could.

The dummy didn't even move from the blow.

He then looked at Red expectantly as if he was waiting for his opinion on what he did.

"That was...pretty good." Red said awkwardly. Cody immediately beamed at the praise, but then his smile vanished as he remembered something.

Red frowned in concern. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"Freak," he said sadly.

Red felt his heart sink after hearing this. "What!? Cody, you're not a freak. Don't believe what that jerk Rick said. That guy doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Cody looked down, unconvinced.

Red sighed and placed a hand around the hatchling. "Listen Cody, back when I was a little all the other kids bullied me and made fun of me for my eyebrows. They called me a freak too. And to be honest deep down I actually thought they were right. I thought nobody was going to accept me. I was angry and alone for a long time." He said with a distant look in his eyes.

"But then I met Bomb and Chuck and the others. They never judged me for my appearances and tried befriending me no matter how hard I tried to push them away. And when everything was said and done, I realized that the problem wasn't with me, but with the ones who made fun of me. They never tried to get to know me at all. For the first time ever I had real friends."

He then looked down at the hatchling, smiling. "So if someone doesn't accept you just for your appearances never blame yourself for it. If being what I am was actually a bad thing then I wouldn't have all these friends by my side."

Cody stared at Red with wide eyes before slowly nodding at him. Red grinned and lifted the kid in his arms, earning a giggle from him.

"Now how about we go have some lunch, huh?"

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Here's chapter four.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was a nice day on the island. The temperature was pleasant and the sky was clear. Since they were free today Red's friends decided to head to the beach after class and asked him to come along.

Red yawned as he watched the other birds from his spot on the shore. Chuck and Bomb were playing with a beach ball while Matilda was trying to coax Terrance into joining them in the water. Red however decided to stay away from the water altogether and was relaxing on the sand instead.

Red then turned his attention to Cody. The orange hatchling was busy exploring the beach. He suddenly picked something up and his face brightened before running back to him.

"Look!" He said excitedly as he showed Red the seashell he found.

"Whoa, you got a good one," Red praised and the hatchling giggled.

"For you," Cody said as he placed the seashell in Red's hand.

"Thanks, kid." Red replied and put it into the ever growing pile of seashells next to him. Cody smiled and ran off again, probably to look for more. Red sighed in contentment before laying down, enjoying the sun.

"Hey, Red!"

He cracked an eye open and looked over to see Chuck waving at him. "C'mon jump in!"

"Nah, I would rather stay here." Red shrugged. He wasn't much of a swimmer anyway.

The yellow bird groaned and made his way to him. "We came to the beach to have fun. You can't just sit here doing nothing all day!"

"Yes, I can." Red muttered and Chuck huffed in annoyance before noticing something.

"Hey, where did Red Junior go?" he asked.

Red rolled his eyes at this. "I told you not to call him that and he's collecting shells over there," Red said and pointed to the direction Cody went.

"Well, he's not there."

"What!?" Red quickly sat up and looked over to see that Chuck was right; Cody was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no, where did he go?" Red said panicking as he looked around for the hatchling. "Cody? Cody, where are you!?" he called out.

"Uh, Red?"

Red turned around to see what Chuck was pointing at and gasped when he saw the hatchling making his way towards the water.

"CODY NO!" Red cried in alarm and quickly ran after the hatchling, catching him just as he was about to jump in.

"Kid, what are you doing? I told you to stay away from the water!" Red scolded breathlessly.

"Swim," Cody said as pointed to the sea.

"No, you're too young to know how to swim. You would have drowned!" Red exclaimed, shuddering at the thought. He didn't want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't arrived sooner.

Cody flinched and looked down guiltily. "Sorry,"

Red sighed. "Just don't do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack." He said as he carried him back to their previous spot, but stopped when he saw the crestfallen look on the kid's face.

Red thought for a moment and then had an idea. He turned around and walked back towards the water much to Cody's confusion.

Red kept walking until the water reached his waist and then began lowering Cody into it making the hatchling yelp in surprise.

"Hey, it's alright," Red said as he dipped his lower half, making sure to keep a tight hold on him. It took Cody a moment before he finally relaxed in the water.

Red chuckled as he watched the kid splash around gleefully. He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind him and looked back to the shore to see Chuck giving him a smug knowing grin.

"What?" Red asked confused.

"Admit it, Red. You've gone soft." Chuck teased.

"What!? No, I'm not!" Red growled, feeling an angry blush forming on his face.

Chuck laughed. "Oh yeah, you totally did! The old Red that I first met wouldn't do something like that."

Red grunted and decided to ignore his friend, turning his attention back to the hatchling instead. It was about three minutes later that Red noticed something in the distance. There were dark ominous clouds slowly approaching Bird Island.

"Uh guys? I think you should see this," Red said, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh dear, that looks like a storm cloud!' Matilda gasped. "Everyone get out of the water. We need to head back to the village now!"

Without hesitation, the birds scrambled back to the shore and began running towards the village as the wind began picking up around them.

"Seashells!" Cody suddenly cried out. Red glanced back to see the pile of shells that Cody collected for him was left on the beach. For a moment he considered just leaving them there and taking Cody to find some more later. They were just shells, there were hundreds of them out in the sea.

 _But Cody worked really hard on collecting them._ Red thought with a frown. With a new sense of determination, Red turned around and quickly ran back to the beach.

"Red, where are you going?" Bomb exclaimed.

"Go, I'll catch up to you later!" Red yelled back as he sprinted toward the beach. He quickly placed the hatchling on the ground and looked around for something he could carry the shells in.

Just then, he spotted a rusty bucket nearby in the sand. He immediately grabbed it and began filling it with shells. Once he got all of them, he picked up Cody and used his free hand to carry the bucket.

Wasting no time, Red hurried back to the village.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Luckily, Red managed to reach their house just as the first droplets of rain began to fall. He placed Cody and the bucket of seashells on the ground and hurried to close the window.

Red sighed with relief after this and glanced back to see the hatchling peering inside the bucket. "Thanks," he said, smiling gratefully at him.

"No problem, kiddo," Red replied.

Looking for something to do for the time being, he picked up a piece of wood from the table and began carving it with a knife. Cody meanwhile was taking out the colorful shells from inside the bucket and lining them on the floor. For the next few minutes there was nothing but the sound of rain pouring outside.

Then it happened. A lightning bolt suddenly flashed across the sky and Cody screamed in terror dropping the shells on the floor.

"Hey, it's okay. That was just lightning," Red said, but the small hatchling continued shaking with fear.

Another flash lit the clouds outside making the kid shriek and run towards the nest in panic. He jumped inside and hid himself under the covers, whimpering.

Alarmed, Red quickly dropped what he was holding on the table and ran to Cody who began wailing into the covers. "Kid, calm down. It can't hurt you I promise," he said, trying to convince the hatchling that there was nothing to be afraid of, but nothing he said seemed to calm the kid down.

Just then a different idea hit him. Without a second thought, Red sprinted towards the TV and turned it on. He grabbed the remote and hit the 'volume plus' button, filling the whole house with blaring cartoony noises. Red winced slightly, but hoped it would be enough to drown out the sound of thunder outside.

He then went to check on Cody. The hatchling had stopped shaking, but Red could hear him sobbing underneath the covers. Red slowly climbed into the nest and sat in front of him.

"Cody?" he said, voice filled with concern. Cody peered at Red from under the blanket with tears in his eyes before burying his face into Red's chest.

Red's shoulders sagged with sympathy and hugged the smaller bird tightly. "It's alright. You're safe now." He murmured while rubbing soothing circles on the kid's back. They stayed like that for a while, waiting for the storm to pass.

After what felt like forever the rain finally stopped and the roaring bursts of thunder became a distant rumble. Sighing, Red stood up and turned off the TV. He never realized how grating the noise was until it was gone.

Red glanced back to see the hatchling walking back to the shells he left and continuing what he was doing before. Red watched Cody from where he stood with a warm smile, but then he remembered what Chuck told him earlier and groaned.

 _Maybe I really am going soft._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of this with a review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **A/N: Hey everyone I'm back! Sorry for the wait. I haven't been feeling well lately, but I'm better now.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Angry Birds.**

 **Heads up, it's gonna get feels-y from here.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red and the hatchling woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. Groaning tiredly, the older bird smacked it off the nightstand and went back to sleep.

Cody frowned at this and began poking Red, urging him to wake up. When that didn't work he started shaking him frantically, but Red kept ignoring him. Refusing to give up, the hatchling climbed on top of Red and began jumping on his chest until Red couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake!" Red muttered as he sat up, giving the hatchling in his lap a miffed look, but the small bird simply giggled at him. Despite his efforts to stay annoyed, Red couldn't hold back a reluctant smile.

Standing up, Red yawned and made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. While he worked, he felt something nudge him from below. He looked down to see the hatchling holding a paper in his hands, looking almost sheepishly at him.

"What is it kid?" Red asked as he knelt down in front of him.

"Here," Cody said, holding out the paper for him. Red took it and his eyes widen immediately when he saw what it was.

It was a drawing of Red himself.

"You drew me?" Red asked baffled. Cody smiled and nodded eagerly at him.

Red felt his heart flutter at the gesture before a soft smile took over his beak. Over the last few days Red had grown really attached to this kid and maybe even protective of him. He was glad to have him here.

"Thanks, little guy,"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once the two left the house, they began their trek to Matilda's house. Red chosen a different route to get there, thinking it might be faster, but that only took them to a part of the village he didn't recognize.

"Why did I take that shortcut?" Red lamented with a groan. He could already feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment at the thought of explaining to his teacher and friends how he got lost on his way to class.

 _Guess I'm gonna have to ask someone for directions._ Red thought, rubbing his temples.

"Mommy?"

"Huh?" Red blinked and looked down at the hatchling in confusion. "What did you say?" he asked, but the kid's attention seemed to be drawn somewhere else. Suddenly, the hatchling took off running.

"Kid wait!" Red exclaimed as he ran after him. It wasn't long until he found the kid standing in front of small white house. Red raised an eyebrow and looked around, trying to see what made him come here. There wasn't much outside other than flower pots on the window.

The flowers have long since weathered.

Cody walked over to the door and began pushing it, but when it didn't budge he looked up at Red expectantly.

Unsure of what to do, Red made his way to the door and tried knocking on it, but no answer came. Frowning, he tried twisting the knob and was surprised when it opened easily.

The hatchling wasted no time entering the house and Red hesitantly followed suit. "Kid, I don't think we should be doing this," Red said carefully, but then stopped in his tracks once he saw the state of the house.

All the lights were off and everything was still. There was nothing, but silence. The furniture looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Red traced a finger on a table to see it was cover in a layer of dust. Either the owner of the house didn't care much about cleaning…..

Or maybe no one has been here in a long time.

It was then Red noticed all the scattered toys on the floor. Slowly, he picked it up one and began inspecting it. It looked like someone used to live here with a-

And that's when it finally dawned him.

"This…..this is your house, isn't it?" Red said in realization and looked over at Cody who nodded at him. The hatchling then hopped inside the nest in the middle of the room and sat there, as if he was savoring the familiarity.

Red frowned and placed the toy back on the floor. Something still didn't make sense. If this is really where the kid used to live then…..where is everyone? Where did they go?

After exploring the empty house for a few more minutes, Red finally decided to head outside. He suddenly saw an old grey bird watering the flowers in his garden and decided to ask him.

"Excuse me, sir," Red said catching his attention.

"What is it?"

"Do you know the owner of this house?" Red asked as he pointed to the white house behind him.

"Oh yes, I do know them. There used to be a couple living there. We haven't really talked much, but they weren't bad neighbors." The old bird answered.

"Well, do you know where they are right now?" he asked hopefully.

But the elder shook his head. "No, not really. I haven't seen them in a while. They just left one day and never came back. I've assumed they had moved to another house," he stated, but even he didn't sound sure about that.

Red frowned at having reached another dead-end, but thanked the old bird anyway who returned to watering his plants. As he made his way back to the house to get the hatchling, Red could feel the uneasiness grow in him. He knew something must have happened to the birds who lived here, but what?

"Hey kid, we should go now. You don't want us to be late for class again, do you?" Red muttered.

The hatchling seemed to ponder over this and then pried himself from his old toys, letting Red carry him outside.

Red gave the house one last look before walking away.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Red? Hey Red, snap out it!" Chuck said as he snapped his finger in front of his friend.

"Huh, what?" Red muttered.

"Red, you've been spacing out all day and haven't talked much during class, is something wrong?" Bomb asked in concern as they made their way out of Matilda's house.

"It's nothing guys. I just got a lot on my mind today," he replied absently.

"Okay good, sooooo…." Chuck said, eyes glinting.

Red raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Can we stay over at your house tonight?" he asked quickly and Bomb nodded eagerly.

Red's first response would have been no since they had made a mess of his house the last time they stayed over, but maybe having his friends around will keep his mind off what happened this morning.

"Fine," Red finally said with a sigh and his two friends cheered.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _The storm continued raging outside._

 _Cody shivered and moved closer to his mom who was quick to comfort him. The big orange bird would glance at the door every now and then, waiting anxiously for his dad to return. But no matter how long they waited he never came back._

 _She sighed and looked down at him for a moment before making a decision. "Cody listen, I'm going to look for your dad. He might have gotten lost in the storm. Please stay here until we come back, okay?" she asked carefully._

 _Despite how confused he was the hatchling nodded anyway. His mom smiled softly and kissed him on the forehead. She then stood up from the nest and made her way to the door. She glanced at him one more time before she left._

 _Cody sat there and waited for both his parents to return. After a while he started calling out. "Mommy? Daddy?"_

 _But nobody came._

The hatchling woke up with a start. He glanced around to find he was back in their house. Red and his two friends were sleeping soundly around him. The hatchling sighed in relief and then thought back to his dream and felt his chest grow heavy.

His mom said she'd come back with his dad, but neither of them returned yet. As much as he didn't want to upset Red, he knew had to go look for them. What if they were in trouble and needed his help?

Silently, he moved away from Red and pulled the blanket over his caretaker. He then made his way to the door. Red and others had forgotten to close it so he easily managed to slip through.

Despite the dark outside, the hatchling made his way into the forest.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

It didn't take long for Red to feel the familiar weight next to him missing. He groggily opened his eyes only to see that no one was sleeping beside him.

Alarmed, Red shoot up faster than he thought he could and looked around frantically for the hatchling. "Kid? Kid, come out! This isn't funny," Red said anxiously, but the hatchling was nowhere to be seen.

"Chuck, Bomb wake up!" he exclaimed. The two birds snapped awake to see their friend running through the house frantically.

"Red, what's going on?" Bomb asked as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"It's Cody. I can't find him anywhere!" Red stated with worry and his two friends gasped.

"W-Well, maybe he's just hiding somewhere," Chuck said.

"He can't be. I've looked everywhere for him," Red replied.

"Guys, look!" The two looked over to see Bomb pointing to the open door.

Red's eyes widen, realizing his mistake. He quickly ran outside, calling for him. "Kid, where are you?"

It was then he noticed the fresh track of foot prints leading towards the forest and felt his blood run cold. _No, this can't be happening. He wouldn't._

Without thinking, Red bolted into forest ignoring the startled cries of his friends. All that mattered was finding the hatchling.

"Cody, c'mon answer me!" he shouted loudly, but there was no sign of him anywhere. A feeling of fear and dread began filling his heart. He couldn't imagine the small bird wandering the dangerous forest alone. What if he was late? What if something happened to him?

Red began sprinting down the forest road. He almost tripped a few times, but he kept running. It wasn't long until he had to stop to catch his breath, giving his friends enough time to catch up to him.

"Chuck, you're the fastest here. Try climbing that tree and see if you can find him," he said panting.

"I'll try," Chuck replied unsure and quickly climbed the tree, looking around for any sign of hatchling.

"See anything?" asked Bomb.

"No, there's nothing there-No wait, I think I see something!" the yellow bird exclaimed.

"Where?" Red shouted urgently.

"By that big rock!" Chuck yelled back.

Wasting no time, Red hurried to where Chuck pointed at. Finally after what felt like forever, Red found the hatchling near the rock and felt relief wash over him.

"Cody!" he quickly lifted the hatchling into his arms and hugged him tightly, glad he was okay. "I've looked everywhere for you,"

Now that wasn't worried for the kid's safety he couldn't help feeling slightly angry. "Kid, do you have any idea how worried I was? You can't just leave to play out here at night!"

The hatchling looked down, feeling guilty for making Red worry so much. "Not playing," he said weakly.

"Then why did you come here?" Red asked.

"Find mommy….and daddy," he answered.

Red felt as if he had been slapped across the face and all his anger suddenly left him. He then remembered how he found the small bird in his house a week ago and everything else clicked.

"All this time….you've looking for you family," Red murmured. He already figured out what could have happened to them, but he didn't know how to explain this to the hatchling.

He looked back helplessly to Chuck and Bomb before turning his attention back to him. "Kid, please let's go home," he tried to reason.

Cody shook his head. "No!"

"Cody, you're not gonna find them…..they aren't coming back. I'm sorry," He forced himself to say.

The hatchling could sense the sincerity in his voice and glanced down at his feet, taking in everything he said. When finally he looked up at Red they were tears in his eyes and his beak was trembling.

Red quickly went over and hugged him as tight as he could. "It'll be alright, kid. You're not alone. You have me…..you have us," he said as his two friends gathered around them and joined the embrace.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Sorry the chapter was sad, but don't worry, things will get better from here. The next chapter will be last so stayed tuned.**

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **A/N: This is it guys. Thank you so much for all the support you gave me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Angry Birds.**

 **Enjoy the final chapter of Not Alone!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red sighed as he and his two friends made their way back to the village. The hatchling had long since fallen asleep in his arms. No one had said anything during their trek and continued walking in silence until they reached Red's house.

"Thanks for helping me back there guys. I appreciate it." Red said absently.

"Ah it was nothing," Bomb replied.

"Well, I guess we should get going now. Thanks for letting us stay over, Red," Chuck stated as he rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"It's fine. See ya guys tomorrow," With that, Red silently made his way inside. Chuck and Bomb exchanged worried looks. Something was clearly bothering their friend, but what?

"Do you think Red is gonna be okay, Chuck? He seemed….different," Bomb muttered.

"I don't know," the yellow bird replied.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red meanwhile made his way through his house and carefully placed Cody on the nest. He then laid down next to him and stared at the celling with an empty look in his eyes, deep in thought.

 _Did I really make the right choice back there? Should the hatchling stay with me after what happened tonight?_ Those thoughts refused to leave Red, no matter how hard he tried. He rolled over and stared at the small bird next to him, wondering if the hatchling would be happier with someone else. He couldn't help feeling guilty for making the kid so sad.

Red sighed again and closed his eyes, trying to at least get some sleep.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, there was someone knocking on his door. Opening his eyes, Red yawned as he went over to open it and was surprised when he saw it was Matilda.

"Hello, Red." She smiled as he let her in.

"Matilda, what are you doing here?" he asked in confusion. They didn't have class today so why would his teacher come here?

"Chuck told me what happened last night. Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

"What? Of course, I'm fine," he answered, but the hen gave him an unconvinced look. Red sighed in defeat, knowing there was no point in arguing. He then looked over at the sleeping hatchling, dejectedly.

"Am I really fit for this, Matilda? I mean, last night everything went wrong and it's all my fault. The kid wouldn't have gone out if I hadn't forgotten to lock the door. He could have gotten hurt or worse and none of us would have known." Red said, looking down to his feet.

"Maybe he'd be better off with someone else, someone who would take care of him better than me. I could just stop by to visit him every now and then." He finished. It would be for the best, no matter how much Red would hate to see the kid leave him.

Matilda placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you know what I think, Red? I think Cody is better off with you than anybody else on the island."

Red gave her a hard look. "And why is that?"

"Because you understand him more than any of us," she stated. "You know how he feels and what he might go through. You really care about him and Cody knows that. He could have gone with anybody if he wanted to, but instead he chose you."

Red blinked, having never thought of that before. "But what if I can't do it? What if I fail?"

His teacher sighed patiently. "Look Red, taking care of an orphan is never easy, I'm not gonna lie. But I know you're gonna do a great job at it even if you don't think so. I've seen what you did for him, how happy you made him. You're the only family he has left, Red."

Red considered what she said for a moment and finally nodded. "You're right, thanks Matilda." He said with a smile.

Matilda smiled back. "Well, I should be heading home now. I'll see you later, Red." She said and soon left.

Red sighed and made his way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a cartoon of orange juice. Just as he about to drink from it he noticed Cody's drawing on the fridge door. He had left it there so they could always look at it.

Just seeing it there gave Red the resolve he needed. He looked back at the sleeping hatchling and smiled. He will make up for his mistake, no matter how long it takes.

The next few weeks were hard for them. The hatchling was still upset over losing his parents and spoke even less than before.

But Red refused to give up. He'd comfort him whenever he looked sad and try to cheer him up. He red him stories every night and tucked him in.

He took him to play with the Blues, immediately becoming friends with them and promising them to come back again. He also introduced him to his childhood hero, Mighty Eagle. All of his friends helped too and visited them whenever they could.

It wasn't long until the kid began smile and laugh again.

Many months later while he was tucking the hatchling for the night, something unexpected happened. It could have been his imagination though, but just for a moment he thought the kid had called him dad.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **Ten years later…..**_

At the back yard of a small house, two birds were working together on a huge piece of woods.

"Is it done?" a much older Cody asked as he whipped the sweat from his forehead.

"Yeah, I believe it is," Red answered with a smile as he fixed his glasses. He got accustomed to wearing them ever since his eyes sight got weaker three years ago.

The two stood there, admiring their work. It was a great sculpture of all the birds together with their eagle guardian standing above them with his wings spread wide.

Just then, there was a gust of wind from behind and they looked over to see Chuck coming their way. "Hey guys, is it ready. The judge wouldn't stop bugging me about it since the ceremony is four days away,"

"Yup, it's done. You're here just in time too." Red stated proudly.

Chuck walked over to the sculpture and inspected it. "I think it needs a little more carving. Probably won't last a week."

"Chuck, if we weren't friends I would punch right now," Red growled angrily while the kid giggled.

"Nah, that won't happen Uncle Chuck. Dad is the best at what he does!" Cody exclaimed confidently.

Red gave Chuck a smug look who rolled his eyes at this. "Whatever, I should go get Terrance to pick this up. See ya!" he smirked before dashing away.

Red glanced down at the kid. "Thanks for helping me, son," he said as he ruffled his head playfully.

"Dad…." Cody whined.

"You can act like you hate it all you want, but I can see you smiling," Red grinned, watching his adopted son try to hold back a smile and failing.

Red couldn't believe this was the same small and lonely hatchling he found in his house a decade ago. The kid was half his size now!

He didn't know why, but Red found himself reaching for the kid and pulling him into hug, earning a surprised yelp from him.

"I love you son," he said softly. Cody blinked in confusion at this, but then smiled and hugged back.

"Love you too, Dad."

Red smiled in contentment, not caring how long they stood like that.

 _You won't be alone, never again…._

 **The End**

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 **A/N: And done! Thanks for all your kind reviews and support. I really appreciate it. When I first started this fic I wasn't expecting this amount of feedback and I'm glad that you all enjoyed it!**

 **Now I would like to thank everyone who reviewed for Not Alone.**

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